Fun times.

Once our little naughties go to bed, I sit on the couch with my partner in crime and do what I like to call, “blob out”. I just become a giant blob. Here it is, the weekend, the kids are sleeping and I am just a blob mass on the couch in front of the tv, my brain turned off. The weekends have been flying by and I have noticed a majority of my time is on auto-pilot. It has been my goal to live in the present and conscientiously. Over the weekend I am not doing either of those things. And this has been going on for weeks now. I blame it on our decision to move away from family. Built-in babysitters who welcome and love our children unconditionally. We made the choice to move away and now we have one night of respite during the week.

I get a little jealous when our neighbors Dan and Debbie dote on their grandchildren and are anxious to have them over for a visit. BUT this is our reality.

In an effort to ‘break my blob cycle’ I feel as though I have to go back to the basics. My friend Jessica recently reminded me how important it is and how inspiring it can be to make lists. I used to love making lists. I have a list in our pre-child box made by Greg and myself about the kind of parents/people we wanted to be, the kind of marriage we hoped to have….I could go on. Alas, lethargic blobs, was not on the list.

So my theory about the ‘list’ is this; on Monday night I think I need to make a list about what I had hoped we had done/accomplished over the weekend. I am a dreamer, I dream a lot about the following weekend and what we will do as a family…like long walks on the beach, cooking together as a family, listening to music, playing together, reading together, walking around in our downtown and I would love to add ‘lounging around outside on our patio furniture’ to this list. One day. But my point is this: living conscientiously I believe takes a heck of a lot more planning than I previously thought.

I don’t want to get to Sunday night and feel down about what we did or more-to-the-point, what we didn’t do over the weekend and think to myself, “it will be better next weekend.” So, I am back to making lists (thank you Jessica!) about what we will do next weekend! Better yet, what we will do tomorrow! I am already making lists about what we will be doing on birthdays and all holidays! I have to make new traditions…it’s my job. So bring on the multi-colored paper and pens (I am an old-fashioned girl when it comes to making lists and like to have a tangible evidence of an honest pursuit of progress).

There are two pursuit of progress for this particular issue

number 1. to make the most of family time over the weekend

number 2. to make the most of my time alone with my best friend.

NO MORE BLOBBING OUT!!! I want to live a blobless life!

We are standing at the corner of plateau and progress.  She is on the downslope of morning meltdowns, running away from me in parking lots, body going limp when I try to force her into her stroller and all-out temper tantrums in public places. I am not ready for her to get older, but it is slowly happening. The little 3-year-old dramas are becoming farther and fewer between. I can’t take my eyes off of her, she is one of the three most beautiful things I have ever seen. Being a mother truly is amazing…most of the time. I can’t wait to see what she is going to be like when she is older. She is such a tomboy right now. So rough and tumble, yet she loves her princess dresses and nightgowns at bedtime.

I had a moment tonight. I was driving home alone listening to music and came across Lord Huron, a band I had never heard before. Just as I was crossing the Roosevelt bridge the chorus came on. The sun was going down, the water was glistening and there were boats in the harbor. I cranked up the song and just enjoyed the moment. Fantastic song. Fantastic moment.

We have been so busy, the past three weeks have been a blur. In the evening Greg and I have been winding down by watching, ‘Walkers’. I am not a big fan of zombies. The way Greg feels about vampires is the same way I feel about zombies, “if you’ve seen one zombie movie/show, you’ve seen them all”. I hate to admit it, but it’s actually a well written show. I try not to pay attention, but I now I look forward to the next show.

Who knew.

I love my little girls eyes

Nana was here a couple of weeks ago. For a whole week, we had a new meal from scratch every night, my laundry was washed, folded and put away, all the kids were worn out and Greg and I had more than one date night in a week.

it was so nice.

We miss her.

and we will wake up tomorrow to experience it all over again!

We have turned a corner at the Spranger house. Cecilia has adopted a personality and she wants everyone in this house to know.  The above picture is a moment captured in a day in the life of Cecilia.  If Cecilia feels she is being ignored, she will scream at you. If you are close by and you are ignoring her, she will scream in your ear! She is cute and she knows it.

She owns everyone in this house. Cecilia is the boss. Even Phoebe, who before was so oblivious to her baby sister, is now greeting her in the morning by name, kissing her, consoling her when she cries and occasionally helps me feed her. AUGH! I am in it. I am feeling appreciative today for these little people, my little naughties and their enormous personalities.

Since moving to our own paradise, Greg and I have been trying to figure out what we have been missing. We used to talk about our ‘dream location’ all the time. It consumed large portions of our conversations to one another, for almost two years. We eventually narrowed down the list of ‘small town criteria’ and eventually came to the following; It needed to be a warm climate, close to water, if that water had potential for surfing…all the better, family friendly, great schools and a great mix of people. Then it hit us, that’s what’s missing. We have found our ‘dream location’. There is no, “gosh I wish it had this” or “I wish it didn’t have this”, there are no other small towns to ‘explore’. This is it. So what do we ‘dream’ about now? Homes? Of course. But, it will come in time. We are always on the search for a new abode. I have replaced our ‘dream location’ hopes for new hopes.

I now am hoping and dreaming of something very particular. Something I feel, would greatly enhance our time together as a family. Something Greg and I could enjoy when the naughties would go down for bed. Not to mention enhancing our time entertaining friends and guests. Bear would even enjoy himself, if we were to add this little something to our life. Yes folks, it is time to invest in patio furniture.

I want an outdoor couch, chairs, coffee table, eating table and chairs and a fire pit (somewhere in there). At the moment, I don’t know where I am going to put these things. We have a nice patio right now, with dinky furniture which is awaiting space in our garage for repainting purposes.

In the meantime I am checking out patio furniture magazines, online stores and of course my latest addiction, Pinterest.  Thinking about themes I want to use…do we go coastal like our living room? Do we go colorful and eclectic like our entryway? Or maybe romantic, with outdoor linen curtains and large cushions, large-scale furniture? My little brain is busting at the seams with possibilities!!! I am so glad our dreams have shifted to something a little more manageable and feasible.

Greg agrees with me too.  I imagine Greg and I sitting outside, after the kids have gone to bed, eating peanuts and drinking an ice-cold bear near the fire and talking about whatever we want. That’s part of my problem you see, I dream up these ‘perfect storybook dreams’ about how patio furniture will transform our lives. I know, theoretically at least, I am responsible for the directions our lives take, not patio furniture. Patio furniture won’t make us ‘closer’ as a family. Patio furniture won’t make us have the best lazy Sunday afternoons or mysteriously make my burnt chicken taste better.

But, it will allow us to spend more time outside, as a family…comfortably. We could read the paper while the kids play in the yard. Grill and eat outside. I can see myself reading to the kids outside on our comfy furniture. I can see the kids playing on the furniture with their dolls.

I can see it.

Wow. I have gone from my last post where I write about my escapades at Barnes and Nobles, to talking about my little girls emerging personality, to patio furniture. I am off the hook crazy! Certifiable.

I can see it now…a giant puffy outdoor couch, just another place for me and my naughties to catnap and cuddle.

Thursday is usually date night. We always have the same babysitter (whom we absolutely adore and want to adopt) who comes at exactly the same time every week. This week, since Greg is out of town, I thought about cancelling, because I have seen all the movies that are out presently and what would I do??? But then I had an epiphany…why on earth would I cancel? I have a ticket for a free night. A ‘golden ticket’. A get out of jail free card…just kidding, but it did fit in nicely there. So I texted the babysitter to see if she could come an hour early and I promised to be back by 8 sharp! She was all for it!

She showed up, I gave her a few instructions and I practically flew out the door. Enter “Confession #1″ I walked around the mall, weaving freely in and out of shops…looking at and touching anything I wanted, without having to pick things up off the floor and throw them…somewhere, anywhere, probably behind a stack of perfectly folded shirts and then start speed walking through the store…(yes I am that person). I tried on clothes without having to tend to screaming toddlers. I walked through the isles of the clothing shops without banging our bus-like stroller into racks. And I looked at jewelry without having to free it of sticky little hands. It was a gloriously free night.

And right now “Confession #2″ I ate a cookie bigger than my face for dinner.

Confession #3…I used to think the individuals who came to Barnes and Nobles to sit at the cafe with their laptops were strange and narcissistic. AND here I am, sitting at Barnes and Nobles with my laptop. I am definitely strange…probably more narcissistic than I care to admit. And I am blogging, how original.

Confession #4…I just bought an Anthony Robbins book. Unlimited Power.

Confession #5…I’ve read Unlimited Power before in undergrad. His message is such a positive one and my friend Karla recently said something about his books. I was in the market for a good positive book I can sink my teeth into. It will be the fifth book I will be adding into my ongoing reading rotation.

I would like to go back to confession #3…I am sitting in the cafe section of B&N Wild I know. I am out of control with my one night of freedom. I am ‘off the hook’ crazy. I think back to my twenty year old self; carefree, spouse free and kid free. For a brief moment I am lost in the world of, “I’m gonna grab my best gals and drag them to a bar, eat those dirty filthy nuts at the bar (cuz remember my twenty year old self is carefree plus at twenty I have the immune system of an army tank) and giggle about boys.” Ahh college, so much fun.

And then I can’t help but think about Phoebe randomly saying she loved me today and how she is really starting to grow and change. Her face is really beginning to fill out and her hair is turning blond. She is talking more and more everyday. Using expressive language and labeling colors everywhere. And Abby…she came home today with an award from school. She didn’t even tell me, I found it in her daily folder just like any other paper crinkled and jammed into any place it would fit. Of course Cecilia and her ever-changing body; short one minute, tall the next, sweet little roley poley then the next minute she is skin and bones. I can’t keep up. Everyone is changing.

Confession #6…I can’t wait to get home, slink into my warm jammies (cuz it’s co-o-o-old here) and cuddle up with whomever is in my bed!! Life is good.

Confession #7…I have been without my camera now for two whole weeks. It needed to be cleaned and refurbished. I am incomplete and missing my ‘mojo’ as my dear friend Stephanie would write. I get it now girlfriend

Confession #8…I might be the most boring person on the planet. And tonight, I am ok with that.

I was home by eight, in bed with my new book by 9 and on my way to sleep at twenty till 10:00. A paerfect end to a perfect day. Quite different from my days in undergrad.

Greg reminded me today.  on the one hand, it is so hard to believe it’s only been a year

We have built a life here, I have met some amazing individuals and we are lucky enough to call them friends…we’ve bought living room furniture here…a true first for us. We’ve set goals and achieved them here, started Kindergarten here, we have overcome obsticles here, laughed here, cried here and played here.

With the unfortunate exception of this week, we have been outside nearly everyday since we moved here! Which is a major reason Greg and I wanted to move to a warmer climate…I wanted to be able to run outside year round and he wanted to surf and be near water. I am weak when it comes to running outside in cold weather.

The truth is it is hard to be away from family.  I have been feeling this way a lot lately. When Greg and I have date nights or family nights we always end up talking about how much we love our kids. How incredible they are. How beautiful they are. How much joy they bring your life…and of course we temper the usual praise-a-thon with an occasional convo about how annoying they can be, how demanding and bossy, WHINEY and ungrateful they can be. Not to mention their overall refusal to LISTEN!

We are in the thick of it for sure. Having to rely solely on babysitters for a couple of hours of free time or date night. Other than those couple of hours we are with the kids all the time.

For the past two months, I have caught myself saying to Greg, and basically anyone else who is willing to listen, how I need either Phoebe or Cecilia to get ‘older’. I really mean I need one of them to achieve the next milestone. I need Phoebe to actually start listening and participating in the daily routines. I would like for Cecilia to begin eating solid foods, so she might feed herself. I would like to be able to set a plate of food down in front of her and be free to prepare dinner or do something else productive.

And now, on March 4, 2013, I am proud to say Phoebe is potty trained, she knows how to sign, say and identify all colors, she can sign, say and visually recognize the letters of the alphabet, and the other day when I asked her to bring me a diaper and wipes for Cecilia, she not only brought me diapers and wipes, she also brought me diaper cream…on my first request! I swear it felt like my birthday! I wanted to celebrate!

And then Cecilia decided she was ready to try real food. She is willing to try anything, but not always happy with the menu. So we are learning about what she likes and she is learning about all sorts of different foods and textures. She is really making huge strides in using her pincer grasp and she has been getting on her knees a lot more, which ultimately means crawling is right around the corner. Such a weight off my shoulders.

But we are missing the family.

All family!

We do love it here though!

We sure love VISITORS though!!!!!

Later tonight, after story time, I sent Abby to the guest bedroom. Lately  Phoebe gets out of bed and tries to sleep with her, a behavior Abby would normally encourage, but I think she is liking the freedom of sleeping on her own. BUT then Phoebe started crying. When I asked her what was wrong she said, “Where is Abby?”. I knew. As a younger sister knows what it’s like to want to be with her older sibling so bad you can’t control the funny feeling in your stomach and then the tears just start coming. I tried to kiss her, hug her and console her but at that point, I knew the only thing that would stop her sweet tears would be her sister.

Abby came back into the room with her own set of rules and I quote, “1. Phoebe you have to stay in bed. If you get out twice, then I tell Mommy and I will go sleep in the yellow bedroom and you will sleep by yourself. 2. You can’t giggle and say my name over and all the time. Is that clear?” Such a young adult. Phoebe agreed to Abby’s terms and conditions. I settled the girls into bed and 15 minutes later, Abby was at the top of the stairs telling me Phoebe was saying her colors over and over again. Well at least she listened to Abby’s rules…she was saying her colors and not Abby’s name. As I opened the door the lights were blaring and she was looking at her alphabet book and signing her ABC’s. So proud of her! But it was 7:30, which is late for her.

I am so proud of Abby. She is all about her sisters. Cecilia absolutely adores her and Phoebe hangs on her every word…most of the time! While Abby is at school, Phoebe randomly stops whatever activity she has involved herself in and looks around puzzled eventually asking, “where’s Abby?” She is such a sweet, inquisitive, smart and empathetic little girl.

1. Phoebe

2. Phoebe’s personal grocery cart

3. first stop…bakery, the ladies at the bakery know her and great her by name. She stands and chats with them for a bit, they give her a cookie and then its time to get to business.

She is taking her new responsibilities very seriously. She is serious about labels.

and she loves loves loves a good deal!!

She is all about the produce section.

Cecilia was not happy.  and she certainly didn’t stay mad

Cecilia is about to bust out of her commando crawling stage into crawling on all fours. She is so close!
so many good things happening and so much productivity on the horizon

just enjoying life!

and ducks!!

I have tried telling her several times that I am not able to select the songs we listen to in the car, the way I do in our house. We have a mini-van for crying out loud!!! But everyday she asks me the same string of questions over and over and over again.

Finally, by the 4th day of this drill, I just decided it was best to stay quiet for the 5 minute commute from the school to our house.

All of the sudden I find myself singing about how, “you make me feel like I’ve been locked out of heaven, for so long….” Thank you Bruno Mars for that last one. And I love love love it when Abby sings along with Adam Lavine in his song for him to “move your jacket, you gotta move your jacket” while the real words are something like “you got moves like Jagger”. Every time I hear her sing this particular song, tears are streaming down my face because it is so stinking cute…and she is into it for sure! She sings at the top of her lungs and she is shaking those tiny little legs and arms every which way. I am just standing in the background bent over and falling in love with her all over again. Don’t get me wrong I am still a Beach Fossils girl all the way, but something about pop music makes everyone in this house want to shake our groove thang!

Phoebe likes Bruno Mars.

Her favorite song is ‘just the way you are‘. She puts her hands in the air and turns around and around. Cecilia even gets into it too…how could she not, we crank it to the upper decibels in this house. She will put one hand in the air and bounce her head. She’s got rhythm.

2013 is proving to be a good year for us…two birthdays out of 6 (we like to include our furry side) down, we nailed the ‘who can visit the ER first in 2013′ medal, NAILED IT!!, and finally, we made a visit to the beach swim suit clad in the middle of January and even got a little sunburned! A true first for all of us!

I don’t know if I say it enough, or if how I write it conveys exactly how I feel, but I

LOVE WHERE WE LIVE!!!!!!!!

]]> http://ceciliaandhersisters.com/2013/01/15/ninety/feed/ 6 ceciliaandhersisters Page-01 Page-01 Page-01 Page-01 Page-01 b (1 of 1)-3 http://ceciliaandhersisters.com/2012/12/31/eighty-nine-thats-a-wrap/ http://ceciliaandhersisters.com/2012/12/31/eighty-nine-thats-a-wrap/#comments Tue, 01 Jan 2013 03:49:23 +0000 ceciliaandhersisters http://ceciliaandhersisters.com/?p=2281 Continue reading →]]> Wrapping up the holiday’s while the sun is shining, is far less depressing as it would be if we had grey in the skies and snow on the ground!

I love where we live!

I am a sentimental kind of gal, and feeling a bit nostalgic as of late, so rather than spilling my guts, I just want to say goodbye to 2012 in pictures

Goodbye 2012! It was lovely!

Angie: Phoebe, what’s your name?

Phoebe: Chris(t – silent ‘t’) – Mas…jingle bells (song in its entirety), Santa, Merry Chris(silent ‘t’ again) – mas, ho ho ho!

I have no idea why she started doing that or even where she got it from, but because she is who she is, to me, it is the coolest thing EVER!!!

Thanks to my sweet mother, I am finally ready to enjoy and celebrate the holidays with friends and family! I needed her to help me get into the holiday spirit. She is so good at blasting those Christmas carols on the radio, singing out loud, putting her red Christmas apron on and masterminding her way throughout the kitchen! To me, I can never fully accept the holiday of giving is near,  until our gifts are wrapped and placed under the tree. Not Nana! She just sings her way through the holidays and laughs with everyone and enjoys everything. That’s what I remember about our holiday’s as a child. I always remember her dancing in the kitchen, singing, cooking, laughing!

 Once Nana got here with her cookie making agenda, Greg and I were free to prepare for the holiday’s, have fun with the girls and take Nana out for a night on the town. So thank you Nana! You bring a so much joy into our lives and we miss you so much!

We had our own bunny moment (from the Christmas story) last week. Aunt Cynthia and cousin Ellie, sent these adorable dresses, skirts and body suits for the girls. Nana and I dressed the girls and sat them in front of the camera…BEGGING them to sit still and look at the camera. It was as if we were asking Abby to give up all of her toys in the photo above. She was absolutely miserable!

Thanks to Nana and the girls, the cookies turned out fantastic!

yum!

I am excited to celebrate Christmas with my family tomorrow! This holiday is starting off on a yummy note!

Merry Christmas!!